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So close...and yet so very, very far.
The always fascinating agent Nathen Bransford blogged today about Free Ebooks. He asks if free content is inevitable and how it will work for authors, if at all? One commented, RW, made an excellent point, which I wanted to bring up:
( Free Media HELPED the music industry )
I really can't comment much on this except to say I agree entirely. I've never seen as much buzz around live music and support for indie and up-and-coming bands as I have since myspace and the free music brainwave. I'm buying less CDs, this much is true, but we go to more live shows. We're also more likely to buy an album at a show. And a t-shirt.
As we say, no one knows exactly how free media will work for authors, but we need to investigate more alternative revenue streams if we want to keep going in this business.
I figured I'd better do one of these posts. This is only my fiction and poetry sales - I'll do one with my non-fiction sometime this week:
Publications:
- 'Court of the Litterfey' (short story). Reflections Edge, December Issue, 2008.
- 'Over the Edge', Mindflights print anthology, issue 4, 2009.
- 'Over the Edge' (poem). Mindflights, November 18, 2008
- 'Two Warriors and the Lost Words' and 'Creme Biscuits' (poems). Wordgatherings, December 2008.
Acceptances: - 'She'll be Right', (short story), Big Pulp Magazine, Spring 2009 edition.
- 'Wack', (short story), Highly Commended in Oceanview Short Story competition, Jan 2009.
- 'Window Eye' and 'Beautiful Girl' (poems). Illumen, forthcoming April 2009.
- 'Zombie Tolkien Takes in a Movie' (poem). From the Assylum, forthcoming issue.
- 'Urban Funeral' (poem). Breath and Shadow, forthcoming issue.
Whilst camping over the weekend, I discussed this with a girl working on her first book. She said her desire to write stemmed from a belief that she had to leave something behind 'for the world to remember her'. For her, a book was the only way to ensure her
This is a common feeling among writers, one I confess to sharing on some occassions. I wondered why this was - why, when we read a book do we feel compelled to be the story-tellers, rather than the listeners? Why is writing and publishing the only keys to immortality?
I think, in part, it's the way the human mind remembers things, like our favourite childhood books. Writing something down commits it to memory - it gives a stray thought a concrete form. Perhaps, as people who desire our thoughts to be written down, the idea of them floating away unacknowledged and unexplored seems abhorrent.
I think it's also our love of remembering the places which exist in our imagination. Everyone remembers Homer for the stories he weaved, but no one remembers what colour his eyes were or whether he liked feta cheese or not. The ability to capture the imagination - which I think is intwined closely with what might constitute a soul - is what grants true immortality in the eyes of the world.
Something like that. Thoughts? Feelings? Comments? You know what to do.
The 10 report series will go up in installments, and then all ten reports will be sold as an ebook for a reduced price, with lots of free goodies.
They'll be priced way below what I should be pricing so that broke writers can afford them (but can't be free though, otherwise I'll go broke too :)) and I'll be adding lots more free material to the website too. Stay tuned, as hopefully the first installment will go up this weekend.
I'm plodding away on Thorn, halfway through the text now, but CDH's imput means I have to go back over that first half AGAIN. He keeps coming in while I'm writing waving his finger at me, shouting "I've got it! This is what you have to do..." He's brilliant - the best friend a writer could have.
Over on Wedding Skulls I've post my second Favour February feature, on DIY punk rock candy buffets. I'm having so much fun with this series, I'd love to include more of these month-long features on the blog.
Bit of a rambly post today, I'm afraid. Proper, well-thought out content will be back next week, I promise :)
My second ebook - and my first about the art of writing - is up on my website now.
Are you writing about a blind character? Avoid the common mistakes with 33 Mistakes Writers Make about Blind Characters...
Blind Characters is part of an ebook series founded by the fantasy writer Holly Lisle. Several authors - each an expert in their topic - contribute to the series. You can find Blind Characters, along with other ebooks on horses, courtroom law, firearms and ballet dancers, up at Holly Lisle's website.
I've been reading these ebooks for awhile now and I find them extremely helpful. I'm honoured to contribute to such a worthwhile series.
In other writing news, I've been working on edits to SSS, aka Thorn. All was going dandy till last night when CDH stormed into my office and demanded I open a new word document.
"I've solved the problem." He declared, and proceeded to dictate to me a prologue.
CDH is not a writer, and his prologue was bloody terrible. But he IS a reader, and what his prologue did was satisfy certian story questions that I hadn't been able to incorporate into the text in a satisfying manner. He also unwittingly provided me with inspiration for two more scenes, and a neat way of tying a minor plot device into an overarching theme from the story.
I loves him. He is SO brilliant.
So I am musing. And recovering from my camping expedition. 3 days of sleeping on hard earth, swimming in a beautiful freshwater lake, kayaking, walking, card-playing, metal singalongs, dealing to strange and giant insects, watching my friend smear deap-heat cream over his nether region, a late-night skinny dip and a mission to sabotage a Christian hearhten-burining bonfire (all in good fun, I assure you).
First off, my ebook Halloween Wedding Planner has arrived in the big wide world. To help promote the book I've begun Wedding Skulls blog over on blogger - advice and inspiration for couples planning halloween, gothic, steampunk and misc. alternative weddings. I've had plenty of positive feedback so far, so I highly recommend stopping over and commenting on some of the posts. As for the Halloween Wedding Planner, you can buy it for $8.95 from my website shop or the Wedding Skulls blog
My second ebook, 33 Mistakes Writers Make About Blind Characters, is on sale through HollyShop and my own website sometime this week. I'll update you as soon as it's available.
Secret Steampunk Project is in another editing stage before being shipped back off the Harper Collins around March/April.
Married life is AWESOME and I thoroughly recommend it to everyone. The wedding was super fun. Pop over to the Wedding Skulls blog to see photos.
I'm still trying to decide exactly what direction to take this blog. Because I want to sell more writing-related info products, I'm not sure whether to keep this blog as a semi-personal thing, have another blog for writing stuff, and my Wedding Skulls blog for my subcultural stuff. Alternatively I could just keep this as my 'personal and writing blog' and then have Wedding Skulls. I'm trying to DECREASE my workload here, but I'm worried that I'm trying to reach two different audiences with the same blog - those interested in my writing-info products and info about writing, and those into following mine and CDH's adventures, heavy metal, books in general, and sausage rolls. I'll ponder a little further.
In the meantime, feel free to comment!
As of today bookbogan is on haitus for TWO MONTHS. I know that's a long time, but I'm getting married on Halloween, and I need to concentrate on that, and my novel and ebook writing.
When I return this blog will take a much more structured form, and I'll be posting more often. It will work like this:
monday: writing post
wednesday: review (book, music, website, whatever)
friday: random and amusing.
In the meantime, you might like to have a look at my new website www.steffgreen.com, There will be a bit of content going up over the next two months (but probably not too much) and in mid/late november it will start getting a lot busier as my first ebooks go live. I'm very proud of what I have so far, as I've managed to teach myself basic html code in an afternoon. Go me! Anyway, have a looksie if you're interested.
Yaaay, three of my favourite poems have gone up over at Breath and Shadow. Here's the link:
http://www.abilitymaine.org/breath/July0
I really love this magazine and what they do. Every member of the staff has a disability, so there's been lots of delays this year because two staff members were hospitalised. But finally, finally they're back on their feet. Enjoy. Feel free to comment here or to Breath and Shadow if you like/dislike any of the work.
On Red Sabbath
3899 words (7.7%)
I am writing a new book. It is YA. It takes some of the funny from the probably never publishable 'In League with Satan' and mixes it with a really dark plot. I loves it so far. I've already written the query letter (I often do that first. I can change it, but it really helps me focus on what kind of story I want to write). This book is currently called Red Sabbath (although that will DEFINITELY change) and is, to quote my query, 'what the Cormac McCarthy's 'The Road' would be like if it were written by Ozzy Osbourne'.
So...I want to have the first draft finished by the end of September. That's two months folks. I think the finished book will be around 70k, but the first draft will probably end up closer to 50. I need to keep mysef motivated with this one, so I'm going to attempt to write up EVERY day with my new WIP total, so you can all bask in my awesomeness and I can keep myself motivated.
Stats for today:
total: 2941 words of 50k. 5.8%
In other news, SSS is wheedling its way through a few US agents. I've had some positive feedback, so that's cool. I love love love love LOVE this book, and I really think it could be THE ONE. I think I just haven't found quite the right person yet. After CDF edits it this month it will be sent out to my HC contact and we shall see where that ends up.
I have book reviews to do. Like fifty million of them. Argh, so little time!
CDF's band is playing their second gig tonight. We're all a little worried about the turnout. Neither of us have heard the other two bands that are playing. We have no idea whether they'll bring five people or fifty. A friend of ours has graciously decided to have a party on the same night (grrrrr) so heaps of people we know will be going there instead. I'm a little bit gutted about that since CDF could really do with the support and it's not like we went to every single gig said friend did with his band...oh wait, we did. Bookbogan apologises for her display of anger, but she's a little bummed.
His first gig WENT OFF! Many people said he was fabulous. His drum solo was flawless. We had a few sound issues - inevitable with six musicians on a stage the size of a postage stamp - but otherwsie they sounded great. The bar was packed out. I was so proud of him and so happy that one of his dreams has finally come true.
My dream of publication is still dangling just beyond my reach. I'm editing Seekrit Steampunk Project with my two readers before I send it to Harper Collins. I've had two US agents request the partial so far. The main problem I have is that I tend to throw everyone into the action right off, and explain NOTHING at ALL. I'm so mindful of not having three chapters of backstory that I do the complete opposite thing. It's actually an easily solved issue, just needs people like my wonderful readers to tell me where they are confused, and then I add explanation, and voila!
Writing-World.com accepted an article of mine 'Writing the Fantastical Query' which will be in their newsletter soon. And I'll have a steampunk article and a review of Stephanie Knehnert's 'I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone' in the upcoming issue of Nocturne Magazine So those are positive things indeed!
2. Girl Anachronism – Dresdon Dolls
3. Arch Enemy – Soul of a New Machine
4. Manowar – Battle Hymns
5. Iron Maiden – Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
6. Metallica – Ride the Lightning
7. Nightwish – Dark Passion Play
8. The Rasmus – Dead Letters
9. Sisters of Mercy – Vision Thing
10. Alice Cooper – Welcome to My Nightmare
11. Black Sabbath – Paranoid (if I had room I'd put the first four Sabbath Albums)
12. Judas Priest – British Steel
13. Blind Guardian – Tales from the Twilight World
14. Blind Guardian – Nightfall on Middle Earth
15. Iron Fire – On the Edge
16. Mezarkabul - Unspoken
17. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Abbitoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus
18. Megadeth – Peace Sells…but who's buying?
19. Skyclad – The Silent Whales of Lunar Sea
20. Burzum – Filosofern
21. Bathory – Blood, Fire, Death
22. Opeth – Blackwater Park
23. Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon
24. Robert Plant and the Strange Sensation – Mighty ReArranger
25. Venom – Black Metal
26. Leave's Eyes – Lovelorn
27. Kamelot – Karma
28. Mad at Gravity – Ressonence
29. The Who – My Generation
30. Skepticism – Stormcrowsfleet
31. Alice in Chains - Dirt
32. Bob Dylan – Time out of Mind
33. Johnny Cash – American IV – When the Man Comes Around
34. Johnny Cash – The Hits/Best of (this is the only best of I'll include, because it really, really is impossible to chose)
35. Suzi Quatro – Suzie Quatro
35. Pantera – Cowboys from Hell
37. Iron Maiden – Powerslave
38. Ensiferum – Iron
39. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Murder Ballads
40. Dio – Holy Diver
41. Lordi – The Arockalypse
42. Apocalyptica – Amplified//a decade of reinventing the cello (okey, I lied, this is the second best of)
43. Hammerfall - Chapters
44. Finntroll – Jakten's Tid
45. Dreamtheater – Images and Words
46. The Cure - Disintigration
47. Sigur Ros - Takk
48. N. U. T. E – Cyborg Resistance
49. Nightwish - Oceanborn
50. Symphony X – The Divine Wings of Tragedy
Agree? Disagree? Want to ask me what the hell I was thinking? What are yours? Comment away
It's a busy time for Bookbogan. She's writing an ebook for http://www.hollylisle.com/ (an exceptionally informative site and store which bookbogan highly recommends), getting ready to launch her website, plan her wedding to Cantankerous Drummer Fiance (Soon to be Cantankerous Drummer Husband), managing CDF's band, working on keyboard songs for her band, practicing swordfighting, working on her second draft of Seekrit Steampunk Squirrel, editing a friends book, writing her Rhodes Scharship application, and generally being a big ball of mess and chaos.
Bookbogan promises to treat her blog with more respect. She will update more often, with more interesting content, and more book and CD reviews (as opposed to NO book and CD reviews at the current state).
Just let her get through this week. Plzzzzzzz?
PS. http://www.lolcatbible.com/ if you don't know already.
Tomorrow, book reviews. I promise. Or, if not tomorrow, by the end of the week.
Seekrit Steampunk project is progressing nicely, currently at 35,533 words of an estimated 50,000 for first draft. a Nano sized novel of hopefully superior quality. final draft should be 60k+, and finished by June if I have any say in the matter. I've already written a stellar query letter and compiled a list of potential agents. i can't wait to get this baby out there.
I was going to blog about something serious, and then I saw this
Although, that the fifth and sixth photos are stuff I actually would wear, minus the sacrificial goat, of course :)
...or would I?
Listening: Blind Guardian – Twist in the Myth
Rejections: none so far today.
I'm writing an article at the moment about Heavy Metal and Tolkien. The idea arose from some reviews of Tolkien-themed metal bands I did for the local Tolkien society magazine. It struck me that had the man been alive to hear Blind Guardian, or Battlelore, or Summoning, he'd probably have hated them. And yet their music stirs the hearts of millions of fans who adore Tolkien's work.
Right, so I have come to the conclusion my query from Paragon must absolutly STINK. We're talking CDF's socks stinking here. We're talking Bookbogan's flattie after 3 hours of swordfighting stink here. And my In League with Satan query probably isn't much better.
So, I'm wondering if anyone out there, published or unpublished, vampire savvy or no, english speaking or no, human or no, badger or no, who would like to take a look at my query and tell me why it sucks. I'd be happy to repay you with cookies, or by critiquing something of yours that you are stuck on, or anything else that your heart desires. I would also like to post my query on my blog ith your comments (annoymous if you wish) so that anyone else wandering through the blogosphere (I love that word) who happens to turn up here might take example with my stupidity and not make whatever mistake it is that I am so obviously making. (30+ agents, 3 different attempts at a query letter. No requests. 99% form letters).
Ensiferum - Iron. Great album, especilly if you love double bass. The drumming is so simple but so effective, right at the front of the mix where you cannot help but hear it. Heavy on the toms and bass and light on cymbol, really atmospheric and cool. Layered with the guitars really well. Just simple, effective riffs you really want to, well, dance too. I love folk/viking metal. Shame about the lead singers voice, sounds like he's hoiking half the time, but otherwise, fantastic album. Just thought I'd slip that in there.
Smell you later - bookbogan
